Nelly N

Disappointed on customer service

We booked our external Accountant at Benjamin Hotel at Florida Road in Durban from the 6 - 9 October 2020. For the past 3 years we’ve been booking him at this hotel. It happened that on the 8th we dropped him off at the hotel after 12am as we were working on deadline and he was going back to Johannesburg the following morning. We buzzed the door bell at the hotel for hours at the same time calling the landline number, went at the back gate hoping to find security but there was none and no answer as well on the landline and at the door. We booked the accountant at the nearest hotel for few hours. In the morning he went back at the hotel. We asked for manager when he was checking out. His name is Gareth, as he was already informed of the inconvenience by his staff, he immediately told us that the hotel are waiving the bill and when the accountant comes back he will be offered free accommodation. I asked for all of this to be recorded on email. Once I sent an email, the story changed, asking for proof of call logs which we showed him in person when we were talking to him and also saying the hotel are not responsible for what happened and we need to pay the bill. On our in-person conversation all we were concerned about was the fact that there is no emergency number to call once the curfew has started. We not going against rules put by president but it also doesn’t mean that people must be stranded. Yes the curfew is written on the door but also they should have made it a point this was also mentioned when the guest checked in of which it wasn’t. When chasing after a deadline no one can think of curfew time as this is all new to all of us but what we were querying about is having an emergency number. We didn’t ask for the waiving of the bill but raising our concerns after the incident. My problem is their attitude and changing of the story. If Gareth doesn’t have powers to take those decisions why take them instead of apologizing for the inconvenience. They surely an unreliable personnel with no ethics. Is that how guests are to be treated by making us liars. Is it racism??? One has endless questions. Their staff on duty was there as well, when he was making all offers.